Berlin, May 14 (AseanAll) — Yang Berhormat Pehin Datu Lailaraja Major General (Retired) Dato Paduka Seri Awang Haji Halbi bin Haji Mohd. Yussof, Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office and Second Minister of Defence, led the delegation of Brunei Darussalam, comprising officers from the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the United Nations (UN) Peacekeeping Ministerial 2025 held from 13 to 14 May 2025 in Berlin, Federal Republic of Germany. 

Accompanying the delegation was Her Excellency Pengiran Hajah Krtini binti Pengiran Haji Mohd. Tahir, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Brunei Darussalam to the Federal Republic of Germany.

The UN Peacekeeping Ministerial 2025 as follow up to the series of high-level meetings held since 2014, bringing together 54 Ministers, 15 Deputy Ministers and representatives of UN Member States.  The Ministerial Meeting serves as a platform to shape the future of UN peacekeeping operations and to strengthen sustained support from Member States. Previous meeting before this was held in December 2023 in Accra, Republic of Ghana.

This year’s meeting was officially opened jointly by Johann Wadephul, the Foreign Minister of the Federal Republic of Germany and  Boris Pistorius, the Defence Minister of the Federal Republic of Germany and featured a keynote address by the Secretary-General of the UN, Antonio Guterres. With the theme “The Future of Peacekeeping”, the meeting served as a key platform for discussions on strengthening the mandate of peacekeeping operations, the importance of adequate funding, enhancing the usage of technology in peacekeeping operations as well as addressing capability gaps, while reaffirming commitment to enhancing the safety, security, and effectiveness of peacekeeping missions.

The Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office and Second Minister of Defence also had the opportunity to meet and interact with the Defence Minister of the Federal Republic of Germany and Admiral Dong Jun, Minister of National Defence, People’s Republic of China during the official dinner. 

In addition, the Minister also took the opportunity to engage in dialogues with counterparts from ASEAN Member States as well as other international partners attending the meeting, in efforts to further strengthen regional and international cooperation in the fields of peace and security.

Brunei Darussalam remains steadfast in its support of the UN’s efforts to uphold international peace and security. The country first participated in peacekeeping operations in 1993 under the UN Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC), and since 2008, the Royal Brunei Armed Forces (RBAF) joined Malaysian Armed Forces contingent to the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). Brunei Darussalam has also served on the UN Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations (C34) since 2017, reflecting its enduring commitment to global peacekeeping efforts. 

The meeting was closed on 14 May 2025, in which the Federal Republic of Germany shared that the meeting was attended by 133 countries where 74 countries made their pledges, in support of bridging capability gaps and modernising peace operations to strengthen their capacity to address existing and future realities.